My Uptown Girl
by Imakecakes
Summary: This story is the tale of what happens when an runaway heiress and a motorcycle riding womanizer miraculously meet. She has known nothing more than the loneliness of living at her estate and he lives life getting to thoroughly know any woman he lays eyes on. What will happen? Based off the Billy Joel song. Updates are a touch on the slow side. MATURE CONTENT! Nalu Modern Tale.
1. Chapter 1: Uptown Girl

**Chapter 1: Uptown Girl**

 **Hello, readers! I am Imakecakes! You may used to read some of my stories they used to get a fair amount of reads. I took them down for various reasons but I am now working on getting them back up and running and actually FINISHING them. It may take me a little bit of time between uploads with editing all the existing chapters and then I work two jobs but I will try my hardest! Thank you so much for clicking on this story to read it. Happy reading! I hope you enjoy my story.**

In uptown Magnolia:

Lucy Heartfilia, heiress to the wealthiest company in the States, Heartfilia Co., sat at the long dinner table of her family's mansion completely and utterly bored out of her mind. She had been waiting for her father, Jude Heartfilia, to leave his study and accompany her for dinner. He was supposed to be down 45 minutes ago but of course Jude Heartfilia being the self-absorbed, work fanatic that he was, was often late for dinner or didn't bother to show up at all.

Trying to remember the all times that he hadn't shown up to the dinner table was like trying to count the stars. He didn't care that he would keep anyone that he considered 'beneath' him waiting. Including his own daughter. He had never cared or at least not since her mother, the lovely Layla Heartfilia had passed away from cancer. Those were dark days in the Heartfilia household. What made it worse than the pain of losing her mother at such a young age was that her father couldn't even bother to really look at her anymore. The pain of looking at the spitting image of his late wife was just too much for Jude to handle. So instead of face to face contact, Jude settled for anyone other than himself to deal with his daughter. And with all that free time that he got from not raising his own daughter, he managed to build a massive business empire.

The heiress stared blankly at the wall at the far side of the table, imagining being anywhere else. Today was boring as usual. Nothing about her schedule rarely changed. It was usually wake up at dawn, then a light breakfast, then lessons until 3, then tea time and lessons again up until dinner. During lesson time she learned about literature, history, proper etiquette, blah blah blah. The list goes on and on. Her brain usually hurt at the end of the day from all the information that Aquarius tried to cram into it. Well it hurt from that and from Aquarius bonking her on the head for asking any 'stupid' questions. When did asking to use the restroom become a stupid question? Lucy tapped her perfectly manicured nails against the wooden table and slouched in her seat.

"Princess, you know your father would be upset by your unlady like behavior." Virgo gently scolded her. Virgo was Lucy's personal maid for as long as she can remember. Which is kind of weird to think that Virgo's appearance hadn't changed at all since she was young. Same bubblegum pink hair. Same bright blue eyes. And the same maid outfit. Geez she aged well. Virgo was always by Lucy's side and oversaw Lucy's well-being, whether it be a personal body guard or to nag Lucy about her habits.

"I know, Virgo. I know." Lucy replied, straightening up in her seat and delicately folding her hands in her lap. "Do you think he will show up soon? You remember he hasn't even bothered coming downstairs to dinners the last few times. Or more like the past few years." Lucy mumbled the last part.

"Yes Princess, he gave his word this time." Virgo assured her. "And Princess, you know it isn't Lady like to mumble. If you have something to say, you should speak up."

"Ahem."

The two ladies whipped around to see her father's head servant. He was a man of tall statue but was thin in frame. He had white hair that was carefully combed back into place and he sported a goatee the same color as his hair and just as well kept.

"Oh hello, Capricorn. How are you today?" Lucy asked with a smile.

"Lovely Ms. Heartfilia. Almost as lovely as you. Thank you for asking." He replied, with a bow. His serious eyes crinkled behind a pair of dark glasses that he always seemed to wear. "If you will pardon me, miss, I must have a few private words with Virgo."

"Of course." Lucy replied, nodding to Virgo to follow Capricorn. The two briskly walked off to be out of earshot of their mistress.

"Yes, Capricorn?" Virgo said, tilting her head to one side. "What did you need to speak to me about?"

"I need you to start preparing Lucy for extra lessons." Capricorn told Virgo. "She needs to wake up extra early to get started as soon as possible. I've already instructed Aquarius to heighten the curriculum. So, make sure that she gets enough rest. I've talked to the Taurus as well to make sure that her meals will be both nutritious and prepared on time. So, with all this cramming there will be no more goofing around. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir." Virgo bowed. "But may I ask, why are we intensifying Princess's lessons now?"

"We have something very important coming up that we need to ready Ms. Lucy for. And Mr. Heartfilia will not be able to attend dinner." Capricorn said, plainly. "That will be all."

Capricorn shooed Virgo back towards the dining room.

Lucy was currently playing with her silverware, attempting to stack them so that they would stand up against each other. It was childish, but she had had enough of today so why not goof off a little when there was no one in the room?

"Princess."

CLANK. CLANK. CRASH. The silverware that Lucy had been playing with fell onto the oak table, knocking over her glass of water.

"Oh goodness! You startled me, Virgo!" Lucy replied, her hand on her chest. Virgo had a habit of always popping out of nowhere and scaring the bejesus out of Lucy. Luckily, she didn't manage to break anything this time. Last time that Virgo randomly appeared she knocked over one of the vases in the hallway on the 2nd floor. It was expensive, but a little rearranging of this and that and now you can't even tell that anything was supposed to be there.

"Princess, I regret to inform you that your father is unable to attend tonight's dinner." Virgo told Lucy. Virgo brought out a rag from the pocket of her maid's outfit and twisted it before handing it to Lucy and kneeling on the ground before her master. "Feel free to punish me for being the barer of bad news."

"Oh." Lucy said, clearly crestfallen. "Figures. And no punishment, Virgo." She said, untwisting the rag and handing it back to her.

"Very well. The chef has prepared you a delicious meal that will be ready to take up to your bedroom soon. In the meantime, I shall escort you back and we will go over the 10 rules of being a proper lady." Virgo said, pulling Lucy's chair back so that she could stand up.

"Oh joy." Lucy mumbled.

"What was that, Princess?" Virgo asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I said, "Oh Joy!" "Lucy said, plastering a smile on her face. "I absolutely enjoy your lessons Virgo."

"As do I, Princess." Virgo nodded. They passed Capricorn and nodded in his direction, showing they recognized his presence. "Now! Rule number 1 of being a proper lady. Can you tell me what it is?"

"Be sure to sit promptly to assure that a gentleman with proper etiquette is not left standing." Lucy told her.

"Now I'll say the next one." Virgo said, smiling widely at Capricorn. "Number 2: Your language is a representation of your mind and heart. So, there shall be no rude or shocking language, especially at the table."

"Number 3: A lady never talks with her mouth full." Lucy said as they began their journey up the grand stair case.

"Number 4: Always dress tastefully. A lady always dresses appropriately for any occasion." Virgo said, motioning to Lucy's elegant gown that was bunched in Lucy's hands so that she didn't trip up the stairs.

"Number 5: She always says "Yes, please" or "No, thank you". She does not say, "yep" or "nope"." Lucy said with slight breathlessness as they made it to the top of the stairs. This dress was so stinking heavy.

"Number 6: A lady always offers help to someone in need." Virgo added in as they continued down the hall to Lucy's room.

"Number 7. "Lucy sighed. "Her word is her bond."

"Number 8: A lady is always a good listener and conversationalist." Virgo said. "Go ahead and finish off with the last two, if you will, Princess."

"Very well." Lucy responded. "Number 9: The attributes of a great lady may still be found in the rule of the four S's: Sincerity, Simplicity, Sympathy, and Serenity. And finally, number 10, which is to always have a heart of gratitude."

"Very good, Princess!" Virgo beamed, as she held the door open for her. "You are going to be the most proper lady out there!"  
With that, Virgo briskly closed the door behind them.

"Do you think that Capricorn fell for it?" Lucy whispered to Virgo.

"I think so." Virgo sighed. "I hope so. Feel free to punish me if it doesn't."

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Virgo." Lucy breathed out with relief. "No punishment."

Virgo and Lucy were very good friends that the whole master/servant label didn't bother them. What bothered them was the fact that Capricorn watched over them like a hawk. Since they were just like friends and didn't have the proper relationship they were supposed to have with each other. Virgo was often scolded by Capricorn for teaching their mistress bad habits. Like when he caught Virgo trying to show Lucy how to blow bubbles with chewing gum when Lucy was younger. Or the time he found them jumping on her bed. He about gave birth to a baby goat on that one when he discovered the small bump on Lucy's head from falling off mid jump. And what had them on their toes now, was the fact that Capricorn threatened to make Aquarius Lucy's personal maid. Which scared the two into, as Capricorn liked to say, "Ship shape". Virgo didn't want to lose her friend and position and Lucy didn't want her terrifying lecturer to be around her 24/7. Her everyday lessons with her were enough to handle.

"To believe that we stayed up all night memorizing that for 10 minutes of relief." Lucy sighed, laying down on her bed, face first. "It was worth it though." She spoke into the soft pink comforter, her voice muffled.

"Now that the show is over, I better get back downstairs to grab you some food." Virgo announced. "I'll be back with your dinner shortly."

"Thank you, Virgo. You're the best." Lucy thanked her friend.

… a few nights later…

"Are you alright, Princess?" Virgo asked. "You hardly touched your dinner tonight, and it was one of your favorites. And you don't seem to be enjoying you bath as much as you usually do."

It was Lucy's nightly bath and it was usually the highlight of Lucy's day. Getting to be in that mildly scalding water with the rose scented bubbles always managed to put Lucy at ease but it was different tonight.

"I just have a lot on my mind, Virgo." Lucy replied, pulling her legs up against her naked body to hold as she sat in the rose hued water. "Thank you for your concern."

"You know as your personal maid, I oversee your well-being. So, it is up to me to make sure you are okay mentally and physically." Virgo added in, as she gently washed one of Lucy's arms with a wash cloth. "Are lessons going well?"

"Yes, they are going fine. Although Aquarius is sure cracking down the whip on me lately." Lucy said, continuing to hold her legs to her chest with her free arm. "And my mind just seems to be a little preoccupied these days."

"With what, Princess?" Virgo asked.

"It's nothing, really." Lucy tried to brush it off. "Forget I said anything."

"As one of your friends, you know you can tell me anything right?" Virgo made eye contact with her.

"Yes, I know, Virgo." Lucy sighed and averted Virgo's gaze. "It's okay. I'm fine I promise."

Virgo sighed in defeat and continued to quietly assist Lucy in bathing. She made sure to thoroughly scrub the heiresses cream colored skin carefully, making sure not to rub to hard that it would leave red marks. Cracking open a bottle of floral scented shampoo, Virgo lathered the soap in her hands before reaching out to massage her master's scalp.

Lucy let out a long sigh as she let Virgo shampoo her hair.

"Virgo do you ever get bored of doing the same thing every day? Or living this lifestyle?" Lucy asked as Virgo picked up a small cup to rinse the soap out of Lucy's hair.

"Sometimes." Virgo replied, slowly filling the cup up with fresh water from the bath's faucet. "Why do you ask?"

"Don't get upset with me." Lucy said in a small voice. "I just want to be truthful to someone."

Virgo nodded and gave a reassuring pat on Lucy's back.

The blonde inhaled deeply and furrowed her brow before speaking again.

"It just feels like I'm stuck. I'm stuck in this endless cycle of lessons and lonely dinners. And I can barely go outside. I can't eat certain things. I'm not allowed to raise my voice, even if I'm angry. I'm not allowed to do anything. Even if I'm bored! It's just rules, rules and more rules!" Lucy groaned.

"You live in a very different society then most of the world. You have an image to uphold. Proper ladies don't involve themselves with anything dangerous or childish or…."  
"Proper ladies don't really involve themselves in anything!" Lucy huffed. "What if I don't want to be a proper lady anymore? What if I don't want to be in this house anymore living this so called 'life of luxury'? Where has it gotten me? It's given me nothing but pain." Lucy let the tears slip out as she released all the pent-up emotions. "What if I just want to be normal?"

"Princess….." Virgo exhaled sadly.

"I'm tired of all these so called 'suitors' that have been coming here since I was 15, with their offers of beautiful jewelry and dresses in exchange for my heart. Why would I ever give one of them my heart? I'm tired of feeling like all I'm going to be good for is to make babies with some stuck-up man for the good of the company. I don't want that, but it appears fate has me stuck here. I'll never know what it's like to live and be adventurous like all those stories Mama used to read me." Lucy cried, her breaths beginning to come out in short gasps as she tried to control her crying. She was finally to her breaking point after all these years after all these years.

"I'll never even know what it feels like to fall in love." Lucy sharply inhaled, choking back more tears.

"Please don't cry." Virgo cooed, gently patting her friend on the back. "It will get better, I promise. Who knows maybe you will hit it off with a suitor? And then you will get married and live happily ever after. And then Master Jude will be happy to and go back to the way that he was before Mrs. Layla passed."  
"It's been 6 years since all the suitors have been coming here. My mom wouldn't want this for me." Lucy whimpered. "I miss her."

"I'm pretty sure all of us do, too." Virgo said, reaching out to wrap her arms around her friend, not caring in the slightest if she got wet.

…

This must have been the millionth time that her father had stood her up for afternoon tea again. She knew he would never show up. After her break down in the tub the other day, she thought about her mother would want her to keep trying to spend time with her dad. So, she tried. Why she would still hand make an invitation for him even though he wouldn't come, she didn't know. Lucy sighed to herself as she daintily held a teacup and saucer and gazed out the window. She was lucky enough to have a bedroom that overlooked the garden. It was yet another beautifully sad reminder of her mother. It was the most gorgeous, lush garden that anyone would probably lay their eyes on. There were seemingly endless amounts of colorful flowers that were everywhere you looked and majestic greenery that snaked up whatever it could. Lucy liked to imagine as a child that the garden was a magical place where fairies lived. And so, she always called it her mother's fairy garden.

"Princess? Would you like me to take any of this food back to the kitchen so that the servants can have some since your father is unable to attend?" Virgo asked.

"Nonsense. I'll just share with them here. You're only job is to make sure to set some aside so that the rest of the staff may enjoy them later." Lucy instructed Virgo, which Virgo smiled at. Lucy cleared her throat slightly before projecting her voice so that the servants scattered around the room could hear her. "There is absolutely no way I can eat all these things by myself so, please feel free to sit down and have tea with me." Lucy smiled to the few servants that were in the room with her.

"We don't want to intrude. We can just eat in the servant's kitchen." Said Lyra, one of the servants. Lyra is a very talented harp player and singer. Lucy remembered the songs that her mother would sing to her and Lyra would be in the background with her harp, lulling a sleepy young Lucy to dream land. At one point, Lyra was Lucy's harp teacher but that didn't really work out too well because Lucy didn't have a musical bone in her body.

"Again, I say, nonsense! You are all my friends. You get to have a lovely afternoon tea with me." Lucy smiled at all of them.

"Thank you, Miss Lucy!" said Cancer, as he helped himself to the crab cakes on the edge of the table. Cancer was her personal hair dresser. She had called him to do something special with her hair. You know just in case her father decided to show up.

"Thank you so much, Miss Lucy!" said the twins, Gemi and Mini. They were her clothing specialists. Gemi was very good at picking out everything from the top up, including any and all accessories. And Mini was an expert on everything fashionable from the waist down. Her favorite thing was shoes. Of course, the two always had fun with all the fancy and VERY expensive clothes that Lucy had in her closet. Lucy was an heiress, and nothing wasn't too expensive so being able to browse through her closet filled with designer clothes like Gucci, Prada and Chanel was everything to Gemi and Mini. And nothing was complete without all the pairs of the infamous red bottom Christian Louboutin shoes which Mini broke down in tears when she got to hold a shoe in her hand for the first time. So, as you can see, it was always fun when they all got to play dress up when Lucy didn't have a lesson to attend.

"T-thank you, m-miss." thanked her 2nd personal servant, Aries. She sat nervously down next to Lucy and began to pour Lucy a cup of tea as well as herself.

"Please, Aries. No need to be so skittish around me. I promise I won't bite." Lucy told her gently. Aries was fairly new. Her father had hired her for when Virgo had other responsibilities to attend to, like housework and garden duty. Which seemed like Virgo was busier nowadays. "Now everyone help yourself! Don't let Taurus's delicious cooking go to waste!"

Everyone began to help themselves to the assortment of pastries and sandwiches in front of them as they happily chatted with each other. Their happiness was short lived when there was a series of loud knocks on her door.

"I'll get it." Virgo said, getting up from her seat to answer the door. "OH, HELLO, CAPRICORN! WHO CAN WE THANK FOR THIS SURPRISE VISIT?" Virgo said in a very loud voice. Catching her obvious hint. Everyone quickly scrambled from their spots at Lucy's table and went back to their posts around Lucy's room.

"I came to inform Miss Lucy of something very important." Capricorn said to Virgo with a raised brow. She was up to something and he was ready to bust into the room to find out what.

"Well I am Miss Lucy's personal maid, so you can tell me, and I will relay it to her." Virgo said, blocking his path into the room.

"And why is it that I cannot come in to tell her myself." Capricorn questioned, trying to lean to look into the room only to be blocked by Virgo's body.

"She's naked. And that wouldn't be proper for a gentleman to look upon a naked woman. Especially a naked virgin." Virgo said, nonchalantly. Lucy's eyes widened at Virgo's words and she nearly choked on her tea. Capricorn turned a bright shade of red and had to bring out his handkerchief to dab his temples.

"Very well. Tell her that her father will be attending tonight's dinner and that she should be on her best behavior." Capricorn said, before turning to briskly walk away.

Virgo quickly shut the door and turned to Lucy with an excited expression.

"Princess! Did you hear that?!" Virgo asked excitedly.

"Is it for real?" Lucy asked with a hopeful expression, tears started to brim in her eyes. "I actually get to see Daddy?"

….

Lucy began her slow decent down the staircase. Not only did she have to be careful not to trip but she was shaking so hard with anxiousness that her father was actually going to be at dinner this evening, but the skirt of this dress was so long that one wrong move and she would topple downstairs. It had been weeks since she had last seen her father, and even then, it was only a glimpse of his face. She needed to impress him in the short hour she probably had with him. Her hair was twisted up in an elegant up-do, her makeup fresh faced and dewy, and her skin was clean and clear of any imperfections. And not to mention, but she was in her most elegant dress that she owned. She looked and felt her best. She felt ready and prepared, but nothing could prepare her for what laid behind the doors to the dining room.

"Princess." Virgo bowed. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I believe I am. Please open the door." Lucy asked her faithful servant and beloved friend.

Virgo knocked and waited for the signal that she could hold open the door. Once she received a sign she held the door open, so Lucy could walk through. Lucy's smile was huge when she laid eyes on her father that was seated at the end of the table, but it slowly grew into a look of confusion as she tried to figure out who the two men that were seated to his right were.

"Ah! And here she is!" her father boomed. "The jewel of the Heartfilia family and the apple of my eye. Gentlemen, this is my beautiful daughter, Lucy."

"My, my, Jude. Quite the treasure you've been hiding here." Said, the older man. He was a broader built man like her father but he sported a very odd mustache that stuck out in different directions at the ends. "She looks just as stunning as her mother did at her age. God bless Layla's gene pool."

"Magnificent. She is simply the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on." Said, the younger man. He was dressed in a tailored suit that was obviously designer. He looked quite dashing it and he was handsome with his untamed orange colored spiky hair and green tinted glasses.

All three men, stood up at the sight of Lucy making her way around to where she would need to be seated. She immediately sat down in the seat to the left of her father.

"Please sit." She smiled, and motioned for all of them to sit. "Father? Who are our visitors?"

"I'm glad you asked my dear!" her father smiled. "This is one of our greatest family friends and our number one competitor!" he said, motioning to the older gentleman. "And this fine gentleman next to him is his son and your new fiancé! I've organized all the proper paperwork and you two will be married as soon as possible!"

Lucy's heartbeat skyrocketed, and her eyes widened.

"Would you kindly repeat that one more time?" Lucy asked with an unsteady smile.

"I said you're getting married!" Jude boomed happily.

The orange haired young man got down on one knee in front of Lucy's chair and pulled out a massive diamond ring. He smiled at her before gently grabbing her left hand to slip the ring onto her finger.

"Hello, Ms. Lucy. My name is Leo Celestial. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever set eyes on. I'm so happy that you will be my future bride." he said, gently kissing her hand before returning to his seat.

Lucy's ears rang. She looked around at everyone at the table, dazed and confused.

"I'm what?" she choked out.

" _Daddy, Daddy!" a little blonde girl giggled out as she ran down the hallway to her father's open arms. "Daddy your home!"_

" _There's my little angel!" A younger Jude Heartfilia scooped up the little girl in his arms and gave her a loving hug._

" _Honey, your home!" Smiled a stunning Layla Heartfilia. She glided across the hallway to embrace her husband. She smiled dearly at her husband and tiptoed to kiss him._

" _Ewww Mama." The little girl squealed at the sight of her parents kissing._

" _Lucy, darling, when you're old enough you'll kiss your husband." Layla said as she teasingly pinched her daughter's cheek._

" _I don't want to kiss anybody." The little girl remarked._

" _Oh, I'm sure when you find the love of your life you will want to kiss them every minute of every day." Jude said, his eyes twinkling as he looked at his beloved wife._

" _When your older I hope you will find a wonderful man that will love you like how your father loves me." Layla smiled at her daughter before kissing her on the tip of her nose._

" _And I hope you'll love him as much as your mother loves me." Jude said softly._

 _The little girl giggled with delight as she watched her parents kiss again. She dreamt of a time when she would be old enough to do that with the love of her life._

The world suddenly became blurry and wobbly. It began to darken, and the voices of her father and their guests turned into dull murmurs. Her head was reeling so hard that she could hurl but before she could everything went black.

 **What did you think so far? I'm sorry for any grammar errors and any mistakes. This isn't my strong suite. Please leave a review! I'll answer reviews at the bottom of the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2: Downtown Man

**Hey guys! I am so beyond happy that everyone that has commented so far is excited for the comeback of this story. This one has been my favorites and I'm glad to be bringing it out of the darkness. Thank you guys for following it and for being so supportive.**

 **A special thanks to: Khaleesi777, 00mogar, AztecBrat and Rein Serenity. I loved reading your guys reviews and thank you so much for leaving them. I love reading what my readers think.**

 **rmadhumita378 : In response to your review, it would make a cute LoLu story if they managed to fall in love despite the circumstances. I have someone else for Loke to fall in love with though :) You'll like it.**

 *******WARNING*******

 **IF YOU ARE YOUNG OR HAVE A YOUNG AND PURE MIND, THERE IS 2 SCENES IN THIS CHAPTER THAT ARE A TOUCH... UM... NOT LIKE SMUTTY BAD BUT LIKE STILL KINDA MEH. SO DON'T READ IT IF IT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE.**

 **Happy reading :)**

 **Chapter 2: Downtown Man**

Somewhere in the not so good part of town known as Downtown Magnolia:

"Arghh!" squealed the naked brunette writhing beneath him, her breasts jiggling up and down with every hard thrust.

Natsu groaned as he felt himself getting closer and closer to his orgasm. He could tell that she was close too. He quickly flipped the girl over until she was on all fours and began to jackhammer into her, making a string of screams pour from her mouth.

"I'm- I'm- !" the girl choked out a pleasure filled sob. Natsu gave a few harder thrusts before he managed to cum as well. He twitched with delight, loving the way that a good fucking made him feel. He felt light and couldn't have a care in the world after feeling such euphoria. Taking care of disposing of the condom, he let out a relaxed sigh before relaxing down to his spot on the bed.

"Okay. You can go now." Natsu said, pulling his red sheets halfway up his still naked body. He nestled down into his comfy bed and waited for the girl to get out of his bed and do the walk of shame back to wherever she came from. The bar? That's where he picked her up right? Huh. He couldn't remember. He shrugged before turning to the unmoving girl. "Uh? Do you need something? I can call you a cab?"

"I just thought that I could spend the night." The girl responded, stark naked.

Warning sirens blared in Natsu's head. He could practically see the red and blue lights flashing in his eyes.

"Yeah, no can do." He said, turning away from her.

"Why not?" she pouted. "I can make you feel good. All. Night. Long."

She purred out the last words and went to straddle him, only to be pushed away.

"I've done what I wanted so leave." Natsu demanded. The girl looked insulted and, in a huff, she climbed out of his bed. She quickly gathered her clothes into her arms.

"I knew that I shouldn't have gone home with you. You practically had playboy written all over you. I should have known that you would fuck me and leave." She grimaced, her clothes bundled up in her arms.

"Well it is different." Natsu said, rolling over onto his side, elbow bent to support his head. She perked up hearing those words.

"I didn't fuck you and leave." He said coolly. "I fucked you and then made you leave. You're crazy if you think I was going to let you spend the night here."  
"Asshole!" the girl snapped before walking out of his room naked with her clothes.

"You know where to find me!" he smirked as he heard her stomp down the hallway and he laughed when he heard the door to his apartment slam shut. He sprawled out under the sheets and waited for sleep to come, only there was something on his mind.

"Come on, Natsu, think!" he said to himself. He racked his brain trying to remember. This was going to drive him nuts.

"That's it!" he said aloud. "The grocery store! That's where I picked her up at. Ice cream aisle lady."

The feeling of relief washed over him and he was finally able to relax and let sleep consume him.

Natsu had a regular schedule. It was work from 9-5, get home, make some dinner for himself and then bed. Now and then, a little 'him' time if he was feeling lonely but who am I kidding he was never lonely. The young man managed to find a girl willing to come home with him literally anywhere. It was a skill really. He mostly got his fill on weekends when he went out drinking though. That was his favorite part of the week.

He was handsome.

He was confident.

He was okay financially.

He was practically drowning in sex and booze half the time.

He was a bachelor and living life to its fullest potential.

Just as it should be, in his opinion.

… The following night….

"Hey, wake up." A red headed girl whispered loudly. She nudged the sleeping pink haired man lying in her bed.

"Mmmmm." Answered the man as he rolled over, ignoring her words.

"HEY! I SAID GET UP!" she yelled, pushing him off her bed with all the strength she could muster. The man rolled off the bed and landed with a hard thump.

"OW! What the fuck was that for?!" he yelled as he sat up to rub his tender head.

"You need to go. And quick. My boyfriend is coming back from the night shift and I don't want you guys to run into each other." She hissed at him.

"Oh, look at you, being all concerned." He snickered before climbing back into her bed to pull the covers back over himself. "I'm tired. Just let me rest a little longer. I've had a long night you know. You're not the only girl I fucked tonight."

"Ew what the fuck?" she said in disgust. "When did you even have time to do that? You were flirting with me to try and get in my pants the whole time."

"Not the whole time. Remember I went to use the 'restroom'." He smirked as he used air quotations. "That 5-minute quickie in the bathroom with that one chick and then you, that really wore me out."

"You're a pig." She hissed. "A fucking pig. Now get out before my boyfriend gets back."

"Why?" Natsu asked. "Not that I care or anything."  
"Because I like being in a relationship. He's a nice guy." She muttered.

"Awe, that's so sweet." He said, sarcastically. "Glad you didn't just cheat on him with someone else."

"Oh, bite me, Natsu." She said, angrily.

"I believe I already did." He said, rubbing his chin. "Might want to cover the evidence up though. Especially around your -"  
"You're a pervert." She sniped.

"Geez! Okay!" he said putting his hands up in defense, a playful smirk on his face. "You red heads sure are fiery. Both on top and on bottom."

"Okay! That's enough! I get it. Now just leave please." She said her anxiety getting worse by the minute.

"Fine, but if you ever want to go another round, you know where to find me." He winked as he slipped on his shoes. He opened her bedroom window and stepped onto the ledge, taking in the crisp, early morning air. It was still dark outside. It must be at least 4 or 5 in the morning. Geez she was really kicking him out early. He jumped off the ledge and into the grassy area that was the back of her apartment building. He quickly ran his hand threw his spiky pink locks and dusted off his scarf and jacket.

"Well she was kind of a bitch." he said to himself. He lightly stretched his arms up, feeling the way the muscles underneath pulled taught before relaxing. That girl sure tensed him up. I mean he was all for fucking like bunnies but at the sonic speed that she wanted to go it sure cramped up his muscles. Maybe he should eat a banana when he got home.

"God, I need a drink." He muttered into the cold morning air. He strolled casually down the street. Lucky for him it was only a few blocks away from his favorite bar.

The night was beautiful out. The sky a rich dark blue, littered with thousands of shimmering stars. The moon glowed brightly and lit his path perfectly.

The streets began to get dimly lit as the moon fell behind the towering buildings of downtown Magnolia. Natsu could see the doors to the bar in sight. He was surprised to see that there was hardly anybody standing outside. Raising a curious brow, he opened the door and walked into the establishment.

"Hey Natsu!" said a white-haired bartender. "What brings you in? I thought you already left hours ago with some girl."

"Well I got kicked out because she didn't want her 'boyfriend' to see me." He muttered, lazily making his way to the bar to take a seat. "Mira? Can I get my usual? You know what, make it a double."

"Long night?" she laughed as she grabbed a bottle of aged whiskey from under the counter and a glass.

"You don't even know the half of it." Natsu replied, downing the drink in one gulp.

"I'll go ahead and put it on your tab." Mira replied, grabbing the glass from him to put into her tub of dirty dishes.

"Thanks." He replied, slumping into his chair. He could feel the warm burn of the liquor in his chest. He loved the way that hard liquor did that. It gave you that warm, tingly feeling but without all the emotions. "So, how's tonight been? It is practically dead in here."

"Well, considering it is 4:30 in the morning on a Friday, I'm assuming everyone is at home asleep because they have work." Mira responded, wiping the inside of a cup with a white dish towel.

"WORK! Gah. Shit. I thought it was Friday last night!" Natsu exclaimed, hitting himself in the forehead with his palm. "That means I have work in a few hours!" he groaned.

"Well you better head home and get some rest." Mira said, politely pointing to the door. "I know how you get when you're tired."

"I may get a little grumpy. I admit that." Natsu shrugged, hopping off his barstool. "But I am NOTHING compared to you. They call you Demon Mira for a reason you know. You're terrifying when you're angry. Almost as bad as Erza."

"That's so nice!" Mira exclaimed, she clasped her hands together and rested her cheek on them as she flashed him a big smile.

"Of course, you would take it that way." He said, shaking his head. "See you later tonight, Mira. Have a goodnight."

"You too!" she yelled after him. "Be careful on your way home! You know I think motorcycles are extremely dangerous to begin with! I hope that drink won't mess you up."

"Are you kidding me?" Natsu laughed. "Alcohol runs through these veins 24/7! I'm as good as sober!"

"Good as sober isn't the same as being sober!" Mira scolded him from afar.

Natsu ignored her words as he walked out of the bar and started to walk along the street to where his motorcycle was parked. He got his key out from his pocket and unlocked his helmet from the bike. He slipped the helmet over his head and mounted the motorcycle. Inserting the key into the ignition, he clenched his hand over the clutch and with the other he flipped the on switch. The bike roared to life with the loud hum of the engine. Looking quickly both ways for any oncoming traffic, he quickly released the clutch and screeched forward from his spot and zoomed down the abandoned street to the direction of his apartment. Within 10 minutes, due to his tremendous speeding, he made it to his apartment. He kicked the door open and threw his jacket and helmet on the ground. He shuffled lazily past the kitchen and into the hallway leading to his room. When he made it into his room, he instantly flopped onto his bed and began to throw off his shoes. With one look at the clock, he let out a groan before turning over to fall asleep for the very few hours he would get before work.

…..

"Finally, you're here!" said a dark-haired man. "What the hell took you so long, Pinky?"

"Shut the hell up, Gray." Natsu snarled before shuffling to the computer to clock in for the day.

"Awe, you're so fun to mess with when you're angry. This is shaping up to be a good day. What did you catch the clap from yet another girl you took home last night?" Gray sneered.

"For your information, no. Now shut that hole that you call a mouth, or I'll shut it for you." Natsu hissed, heading to the back to pour himself some coffee. Black. Like his soul.

"Oi, Salamander's here." Said a man that was covered in a multitude of piercings. "And 15 minutes late. Wow, earlier than normal."

"Careful." Gray warned him as he pulled a cigarette from his pack in his front shirt pocket. He lit it and took a long drag before speaking again. "He is being bitchy this morning."

"Did little Salamander not get enough sleep last night." Gajeel jeered, jutting his lower lip out at Natsu before letting loose a deep chuckle. "Well, tough shit. We've got a hell of a long day for us. Erza is coming into the shop today to do some inspecting."

"What!" Natsu voiced, in a slight better mood due to the caffeine now running in his veins. "Why is she coming in today?"

"She is just coming in to check on business and make sure everything is up to code. Which means…" Gajeel started. "That there is no smoking in shop today." He said, taking the cigarette out of Gray's mouth and crushing it in his hand.

"WHAT!" Natsu and Gray said at the same time.

"It's just for today." Gajeel said, clapping his hands together to get rid of the tobacco off his hands.

"Fine but I'll have you know that not smoking gets me really irritated." Gray huffed, stomping off to go work by himself.

"Won't be any different for me. You're always bitching about something." Gajeel yelled after him. "Okay, Natsu you're in charge of the '71 Mustang today. It needs to be ready by tonight or else the owner will be pissed."

"On it." Natsu said, gulping down the rest of his coffee.

Natsu, Gray and Gajeel all worked at 'Fernandez Auto Repair Shop', which was their friends', Erza and Jellal Fernandez, business. They had all been working together at the shop since they were 18, so that made it 3 years. Their friendship goes much further back than that though. They all originally met at an orphanage before going their separate ways into foster care.

When he was a baby, he was abandoned by his real family and later adopted by an older gentleman by the name of Igneel. Igneel was the best father that Natsu could have asked for. And the reason that he was able to be good at this job. When he was younger, Igneel had taught him how to weld and fix old cars. It became a passion and Natsu loved to work on cars and motorcycles. Sadly, Igneel was caught in the cross fire of some gang activity on Christmas Eve and was injured badly. No one bothered to call the cops or ambulance and let the old man bleed to death on the sidewalk, clutching Natsu's Christmas present in his arms. It was the scaly white looking scarf that Natsu wears to this day. Natsu was 10 when it happened and from then on, he learned to hate people and Christmas time. He put a barrier around himself and turned into a so called 'bad boy'. He did the usual things like tag walls, set fire to things, breaking and entering, causing scene's and he had his fair share of fights. And that was all in middle school. You would figure with Natsu's father dying from gang activity it would stop him from being a hoodlum, but it didn't. He didn't want to pay any attention to the feelings and emotions in him, so he just settled for adrenaline rushes. By some miracle he wound up at the same high school with Gray, Erza, Gajeel and a few more friends. Even though he did stir up lots of trouble it was probably having his friends that kept him out of jail in high school. Or the fear that Erza would kill him if he somehow managed to end up in jail.

It wasn't very hard to work with each other surprisingly enough. Natsu was just happy that he could hold this job. It was mostly because of Erza threatening his vary existence that got his ass in gear. He had gotten fired from so many other places. Mostly for his attitude/ and or flirting with fellow employees. But other times it was discrimination against his unnatural colored hair or his tattoos. Here, he could be himself. He was never judged here by his life choices just by the quality of his work.

"Ahem." A throat cleared right next to him. A startled Natsu fumbled with the crescent wrench in his hand and it fell through the car and onto the floor with a very loud clank. He was so in the zone that he totally forgot that Erza was coming in today. "Natsu."

"Oh hey, Erza." Natsu replied, wiping his hands off with a towel that he kept in the pocket of his coveralls. "So, how's the married life going?"

"Fine, thanks for asking." She responded. "Now onto why I am here. Business. I need to ask you a few questions. I've already talked to Gray and Gajeel and you are my last stop. So,…"

"Questions? What kind of questions?" he asked her, knowing exactly what she was going to ask. Seriously it was annoying that he had to go through this every month. Erza was so thorough with this business.

"Well if you would let me finish, then you would know." She said, with an eyebrow raised. Natsu shrugged before picking up the wrench from the ground to clean the handle where he touched it with his grease covered hands. "Very well. So how many vehicles have you repaired this week?"

"I've personally worked on 5 cars and 3 motorcycles." He said.

"Excellent. All routine work or some special circumstance?" she asked.

"6 of the 8 were routine. And the last 2, including this one I'm working on now are special circumstance." He said.

"And what kind?"

"Just some welding and epoxy for some auto body work." He shrugged. "And I lowered a El Camino. Damn thing will probably barely make it over a speed bump if he is lucky."

"Ahh yes I see." She said, looking at the car he was working on. "Beautiful work as usual. Well, final question then. Why are you continuously late for work every single day?"

Natsu's eyes widened at the question and he dropped his rag on the ground. He leaned forward to pick it up, trying to think of how to respond to Erza's question.

"Well you see, OW!" he yelled, he had bumped his head into the car's bumper.

"You know I don't tolerate tardiness on my watch." Erza scolded, grabbing him by the collar of his coveralls and holding him up in the air a few inches off the ground with one arm.

"Yes, ma'am. And I promise you it won't happen from here on out." Natsu nodded, holding his rag close to him. He had to tread gently around Erza. She was practically a loose cannon being pregnant and all. Her hormones were like a tsunami. Not to mention it seemed like her strength had doubled ever since they found out she was pregnant. Those damn motherly instincts. Wasn't that supposed to kick in after the baby has been born? Natsu swore that if she ever went on a rampage, that she would probably be able to pick up cars and toss them around as if they were nothing.

"I'm going to believe you. This is your first and ONLY warning. Next time it won't be verbal." She said, dropping him to the ground and turning to walk away.

"Yikes." Natsu whispered to himself, as he got back to work.

A lot of grime and grease later….

"Marvelous! It looks just as good as when I bought it all those years ago." Said the owner of the mustang that Natsu had worked on all day. "You did a wonderful job, my boy."

"Thank you, sir. Keep her out of trouble. You don't need to get rear-ended again after she just got all fixed up." Natsu laughed.

"Don't worry. She is going to be babied from here on out." He said, patting the mustang gently on the hood.

"Well, you're all paid so thank you for coming to Fernandez Auto Body." Natsu told him, before giving the man a nod and heading inside.

"Hey Natsu! That old geezer left you a tip." Gray said, waving a $100-dollar bill from behind the counter. "I wish I was the one working on that car now."

"Guess who is going to get shit faced tonight!" Natsu yelled excitedly, snatching the bill from Gajeel's hands to gaze at the large tip. "You guys wanna join in on the fun tonight? I'll pay for the couple rounds."

"Count me in." Gray answered.  
"Hell if Salamander is paying, I'll come." Gajeel said. "I can't turn down free booze."

"Great! You guys can be my wing men tonight." Natsu toothily grinned. "It is shaping up to be a good night. Where do you think we should go?"

"I think I know just the place." Gray answered.

This was his life.

And he loved every minute of it.

 **Sooooo... different than how I wrote this the first time right? I think it got better, that's if you remember how I wrote it the first time. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you hopefully soon! Remember to leave a review and I'll answer them next chapter :)**


	3. Chapter 3: The Girl

**Hey everyone! A new chapter is out! Yay! It's been a long week... I feel so tired but I wanted to make sure you guys got to read some more! I love reading fanfiction and I know the feeling of having to wait for a new chapter on a story. If you are looking for some recommendations for some stories I really like: Skater Boy by BlackLynx17 (This one is finished and I love it because of how they wrote the story based off the song), Like Whiskey, Like Beer by FeudalAi ( I was just browsing one day and stumbled upon this. It is a really nice story! Mostly Nalu but there is some GrayLu as well), and Open Marriage by mushi0131 (If you are looking for some mature content goodness this is it!)**

 **I really love browsing through the M rated section but it doesn't get a lot of new stories very often but I hope you check out the ones I mentioned!**

 **Rein Serenity** \- Yes, it is slightly different than I originally wrote it. It's crazy what a couple months difference can do right? Lol. And to answer your question... I am currently not planning to update my other story since I don't have too much time on my hands right now. I'd like to though. One day...

 **FlameDragonHime** \- It is your lucky day since this is the chapter that NaLu meets!

 **Mandapandaa** \- My original story was different since I first started to write and I was trying to figure out my writing style. I was honestly kind of all over the place haha. I don't really know too much about being a quote on quote "writer". I really hope that you will thoroughly enjoy this story. Thank you for your review!

 **Larissa** \- I'm not sure exactly what direction I am taking this in either but I hope it will be good! ( most of this story is already written but I have yet to come up with an ending... so it will be a surprise for all of us lol.

 **Now back to what you came for!**

 **Chapter 3: The Girl**

Lucy sat in her room crying for most of the day from the shocking news she had received from last nights' dinner. She still couldn't believe it. When she woke up this morning, she thought it was all just a bad dream until she looked down at her left hand and found the humongous engagement ring that was on her ring finger. It hurt. It hurt that after not seeing her father all this time, that he could simply just give her away to some man without her consent. She was upset that she had to be married right away to ensure there was enough time to make an heir to the companies within a year to 'seal the deal'. That's all that mattered. The stupid companies.

"Miss Lucy?" asked, Capricorn from the other side of her door. "Are you alright Miss, Lucy?"

"NO!" she wailed. "Go away, Capricorn. I don't wish to see you right now. You knew! You knew that he was planning to marry me off and you didn't tell me. How could you Capricorn? I thought you were my friend."

He couldn't think of anything that he could possibly say to make this situation better. Capricorn respected her wishes and walked away from the door. Her words sticking with him. She was right. He could have at least warned her beforehand. He has known about this for quite a while.

"Virgo? How could he do such a thing?" Lucy cried into her pillow.

"Princess, sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. And that was his job. And I know he didn't want to get fired so he agreed to your father's wishes." Virgo replied, softly stroking her master's hair.

"You're right. I should apologize to him." Lucy said, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. "I wish more than ever that I could leave this house. I don't want to be here anymore."

Virgo took a moment to take in her words. She weighed all the pros and cons of Lucy staying here. And she also weighed the pros and cons of her leaving too. There would be a lot of consequences in helping Lucy leave the Heartfilia mansion. But she would do anything to help her friend. She was clearly miserable here.

"Princess." Virgo said. "I'll help you. I'll help you leave this place."

Virgo began to whisper into Lucy's ear about a plot to get her out of the house and on the way to a different, better life. The only problem was that Lucy would have to navigate around a city on her own until Virgo could get out of the mansion to meet up with her.

"Okay so, there is the plan. You think you can do it?" Virgo whispered. Lucy nodded, sniffling a little before putting a brave face on.

Virgo helped Lucy quickly change into an outfit that would give her a little more mobility and to help her blend in a little better. It was a pair of ill-fitting jeans with brown boots, a slouchy t-shirt and a black hoodie thrown over the top. "Okay here. Here is some money to last you until I can meet up with you. It should cover a hotel for one night and for food. Tuck it into your pocket. Are you ready? Because if you are going to leave it needs to be now."

"As ready as I'll ever be." Lucy said, holding her hands tightly together to stop from shaking. "Please tell everyone goodbye for me. Please, Virgo? And tell them I'm sorry that I can't take you all with me."

"Okay, I promise that I will, Princess. Get out of here as soon as I leave, okay? Remember, tomorrow night at 7:30 in front of the library. It's off North and 5th street. People are somewhat friendly and should be able to point you in the right direction." Virgo said, dusting herself off. Rolling her shoulders back a bit she prepared herself for the storm that was going to head her way. But she would do anything for her master. She loved her like she was a little sister. She just hoped that this was the right thing to do. And she especially hoped Princess would stay safe. Virgo couldn't help but feel something eating away at her knowing that she wouldn't be there to protect Lucy. Lucy was a big girl though. After some mental reassurance, they proceeded with the plan.

…. Later that day

"Princess, you haven't eaten all day! You must be starving. You must let me get some broth and crackers from the chef just, so you have something in your stomach."

"Very well, Virgo. I would be very grateful if you would get something for me. I'm famished." Lucy responded.

"Yes, Princess. I will be back shortly." Virgo gave Lucy a death gripping hug before heading out of the room. That was Lucy's cue to high tail it out of there. The moment Virgo had left, Lucy immediately opened her bedroom window and squatted on the window ceil looking out at the garden that she had treasured so much. She knew that she would probably never see it again, so she tried to quickly memorize every detail of it. She gazed down at the ground, which was a bad idea on her part. She was extremely high up and the thought of slipping and falling to her death. Fear snaked its way up her spine and made her shiver. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and dangling her legs off the window sill, searching for a foot hold. Once she had found one, she made a steady decent down the sturdy vines that crept up the side of the mansion. She rejoiced when her feet had yet again touched level ground. Quickly jogging through the garden, she expertly navigated her way through its maze of greenery and flowers with ease. When she had made it through, she spotted the tree that was closest to the giant wall that surrounded the estate. She had never climbed a tree in her life, so this was a big obstacle. Darn her father and his not letting her learn how to climb! She didn't have time to analyze the situation, so she just began to climb, clinging onto any crevasse that the tree provided.

"That wasn't so bad." Lucy said to herself, as she dusted the bits of wood off her hands. "Now the hard part." Now that she was safely tucked into the thickest part of the tree, the next step was to koala her way on one of the thicker branches that hung over the wall. Hugging the branch as tight as she could with her legs and arms, she let her body slip against the branch until she was upside down. Slowly but surely, she scooted herself along the branch until she was over the property line. This was it. The point of no return. She gazed back at the mansion, the home she grew up in that had grown so cold over the years.

"Goodbye." She whispered. She let her leg grip loose off the branch and let her body dangle over the sidewalk. "Okay, here we go. New life, new- OWWW!"

Lucy's grip had slipped due to her sweaty palms, and she fell onto the sidewalk with an ungraceful thud. She disgruntledly got off the ground and rubbed her sore rear before marching off into the cool night air, ready for the start of her new life.

….

"Yeah! This is what I'm talking about!" Natsu yelled happily, a drink in one hand and a girl in the other.

"Told you this was the place to be tonight." Gajeel said, talking a swig of beer.

"I thought I was the one that brought up the idea?" Gray grinned as he looked at the girl that he had his arm draped around.

"Yeah but I approved it." Gajeel cackled.

Tonight, the boys didn't go to their usual bar, which was called "The Guild". That is where their friend Mira worked. No, tonight they went to a club that was called "The Dragon's Den." It was the new and hottest club of the town and for a good reason. It was full of scantily clad, drunk women everywhere that were ready to be taken home and shown the time of their lives. It was every bachelor's dream. And luckily, the 3 of them were single and ready to mingle.

"HEY! What the hell all you are doing with your hands on my girl." Said a gruff voice.

"What's it to ya? She found me first." Natsu replied.

"Well considering she is so shit faced right now, she probably couldn't tell the difference between a donkey's ass and you're face." Said the guy angrily.

"Was that supposed to hurt my feelings?" Natsu replied. "If she chose such an 'ugly' guy over you, what does that make you? The donkey's shit?"

"Natttssuu." Gray said through gritted teeth. "Shut your fucking mouth. You're going to get us kicked out."

"I'll say it one more time. Get. Your. Fucking. Hands. Off. My. Girl." The guy spat.

"Oi, come on guys. We can take this prick on!" Gajeel said, cracking his knuckles. Gajeel loved conflict, especially if it involved fighting.

"Excuse me! How about you and I take it outside. Freak!" the guy said, getting up in Gajeel's face. "Now give me back my girl, or I'll mess up this guy's face even more than it already is."

"Hey!" Gajeel said in defense.

"Fine." Natsu said, roughly pushing the girl in his direction. "Plenty of other girls here. I don't need to take home a slut that has fucked you."

The guy threw the first punch and hit Natsu straight in the jaw. Natsu touched his jaw before downing the rest of his drink and carelessly tossing the glass on the ground. The shatter was loud enough to get everyone's attention.

"Bad choice." Natsu growled. The man tried to throw another throw at Natsu's face but Natsu's reflexes were too fast. He grabbed the man by the wrist before his fist could make contact. "Say goodnight."

"What?" and that was the man's last words before he was knocked unconscious by Natsu's powerful headbutt.

"I'm gonna get going before they call the police on me." Natsu said, wiping the pretend dirt off his shoulder. "You guys have a good rest of the night. I'll see you at work Monday. Oh, and Gajeel. Don't believe that guy. You know your beautiful, buddy!"

Natsu slung his black leather jacket over his shoulder and strolled casually out of the night club.

"Jesus Christ. Another place that he is going to be banned from." Gray shook his head with disappointment. "Will he ever learn to keep that damn mouth shut?"

"I thought it was badass." Gajeel shrugged. "I just wouldn't have sissy headbutted that guy."

Natsu let out a heavy sigh as he lit up a cigarette. He deeply inhaled the smoke and let it relax his tense muscles. Not knowing where to go since it was so early in the evening, he just let his feet take him wherever they felt like going. Maybe a nice stroll would help him calm his nerves before he would go to another bar to try and pick up another girl. Natsu has had anger issues for as long as he could remember. He just had a very fiery personality. When he would get this way when he was young, Igneel would make him put on a jacket and they would go on a walk to let Natsu cool down. And to this day, that is what he still did when he was fired up about something. Which was mostly fights. He was always getting into fights. That would probably never change. He walked down the sidewalk of a nearby street with shops and gazed through the windows at all their goods. The businesses were all closed since it was 10 at night but the windows were still lit up. It was mostly houseware and antique stores, but it was something to take is mind of everything. He was in the middle of looking at a stuffed animal that looked like a snowman when he heard a loud scream.

"NOO PLEASE! STOP! I'M BEGGING YOU! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!" screamed a female voice. Acting on instinct Natsu immediately began to sprint toward the direction of the cries for help.

…..

It felt like she had been walking for hours, she was exhausted. But on a brighter note, she was far away from her old home and deep in the city. It was like a whole new world to her. There were so many lights and sounds! And so many stores! Lucy made a mental note to herself to ask Virgo if she could take her to some of the shops as soon as they settled on some place to live. She passed by a string of shops that had already closed and was trying to find someone that could help her find a hotel for the night but so far, she hadn't run into anyone in this part of town. It was dark and getting cold out. She needed to find the hotel soon. It was probably getting late. She shivered before pulling her arms up to hug herself to try and get warm.

"Hey there, little lady." Said a voice from an alley. "What is a pretty little thing like you doing out this late? And on this side of town?"

"Oh, you startled me, sir." Lucy nervously laughed. "Could you maybe help me? I'm a little lost and in search for a hotel."

"I can show you the way." The guy said. "Is it alright if my two friends come with?"

"I don't see a problem with it." Lucy replied. She watched as all three men emerge from the shadows. They were all wearing baggy, ripped jeans and bandanas.

"Well it is right this way." Said the guy, motioning to the dark alley.

"I'm not sure that- "Lucy started.

"Oh, come on it's a short cut." The guy told her.

Lucy was starting to get super creeped out from these guys. They all had crazy smiles plastered on their faces. Even if she was raised in a mansion and was very sheltered as a child, she wasn't stupid. Something about 3 creepy guys in an dark alley had 'NO' plastered all over it.

"I think I know the way." Lucy said with a nervously smile. "Thank you so much for your help. You are very kind. I should probably be going."

She tried to quickly walk past the alley but was stopped when the man jumped in front of her. Blocking her path.

"You're not going anywhere." He grinned. He walked towards her and she slowly backed away from him in fear. She didn't get very far before she bumped into his two friends that were right behind her. Before Lucy could even react the two men in the back grabbed a hold of her arms and had pulled her into the dark alley. She flailed her limbs around trying to break their hold, but it wasn't enough they were too strong. "Don't worry sweetheart. We'll each take a quick turn with you and then you can go."

"What?" she asked, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Take her pants off." He ordered the guy to her right. He nodded and handed his hold on her over to his buddy and went to try to unbutton Lucy's jeans.

"NO!" she screamed, trying to kick him away. "Please stop!"

"Ugh, I hate screamers. Pull her hood over her face and tighten it." He told his companions. They did as they were told, and Lucy soon saw only black.

"NOO PLEASE! STOP! I'M BEGGING YOU! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!" she screamed as loud as she could. She thrashed her body around violently. Her breath was coming out in short panicked bursts. She felt the button of her pants come undone and the zipper being pulled down. This was it. All hope was gone. Hot tears began to spill down her cheeks.

"HEY WHAT THE HELL!" yelled one of the guys. They released their grip on her arms and she fell onto the ground. There was the sound of all the men shuffling around in front of her and the sound of skin to skin contact in the form of punches. Lucy was frozen in fear and all she could do is curl into a ball and try to drown out the sounds. She wrapped her arms tightly around her legs and scooted close to the wall that the men had been holding her against. She jumped at the sound of several loud thuds hitting the ground in front of her, she assumed unconscious bodies. But the question was, who? She froze at the sound of a set of footsteps coming her way. She felt the presence hover above her.

"Are you okay?" a male voice whispered. He was right in front of her. Whoever he was, was kneeling in front of her. She felt a tug at the front of the hoodie and instantly pulled away. "Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm just trying to untie the knot, so you can breathe."

Lucy shakily inhaled before staying still so whoever could untie the knot.

"There." He said. "I'm going to loosen the hood okay, so don't freak out."

He gently finessed the hood open and Lucy gasped, taking in air.

"Thank you." She cried. "If you hadn't have come, I don't know what they would have done."

Her savior stared at her. He could only see her lips since the hoodie was still masking the rest of her face. They were agape and slowly taking in air. Who could be the mysterious girl under the hoodie that was stupid to come to this part of town by herself at night? Weren't girls supposed to hang out in big groups like schools of fish? Didn't she know this is where the gangs liked to hang out? Luckily these guys weren't part of one or Natsu would have been in big trouble. They were just hoodlums.

"No problem." He said, he got up off the ground and offered a hand down to her. She graciously took his hand and he lifted her off the ground with ease. "You really should be more careful. This is the bad part of town after all."

"It is?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he answered. What was this girl's deal? Was she stupid?

"Oh." She managed to say. "What is your name? If you don't mind me asking? I would like to give you a proper 'thank you'."

"The name is Natsu." He replied, nonchalant.

"Well, Natsu. Thank you for saving my life tonight. You are a very kind gentleman." Lucy thanked him.

"And what's your name?" he asked.

"I'm Lucy." She answered. She slowly lifted the hood off her head and tilted her head upwards to look at the man who saved her and was met with a pair of fiery onyx eyes attached to a very handsome stranger.

 ***elbow nudges* So... What did you think? Eager for another? Me too. I hope you enjoyed today's chapter. Please leave a review! Happy reading!**


	4. Chapter 4: Spending the night

**I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm sorry that it took practically forever to update this story. But I'm back with another chapter. Some crazy things have been happening and I barely had time to even edit this chapter. I'll try my hardest to get the next one out sooner. Work has been keeping me pretty busy so I hope I can get the next chapter out in a timely manner...**

 **Anyway! Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Chapter 4: Spending the night**

Natsu stared down at the most beautiful pair of chocolate brown eyes that he had ever seen. They belonged to a girl that must have been around his age, maybe a little younger. She had beautiful blonde hair and a face that was simply angelic. She had flawless cream-colored skin that glowed in the pale moonlight. Her lips were plump and a lovely shade of pink. But sadly, her once probably rosy cheeks, were now tear stained and those dark, lush lashes that framed those beautiful eyes, damp with tears. Poor things must be scared to death. She probably needed to be comforted…..

….He was good at comforting.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy." He said, offering his hand out, a lopsided grin on his face. She extended her hand as well with her wrist slightly bent to expose the soft skin on the back of her hand. Natsu wasn't sure exactly what she was doing so he quickly shook her hand and let go of it, which left Lucy very confused. Usually gentleman kissed a lady's hand. Never had she ever encountered a situation where her hand was shaken firmly and then tossed aside. That was more of a man's greeting for another man. She stared at the man trying to figure him out. He was quite peculiar. He was wearing a white tank top that exposed his muscular arms that were decorated with a few tattoos. The most noticeable one being the intricate dragon that wrapped around his right arm. It was breathing fire that was beautifully swirled out onto his shoulder region that was covered by the interesting patterned white scarf he was wearing. He also was wearing ripped jeans and a pair of black combat boots. His entirety was shocking to Lucy. She had never encountered anyone who was tattooed, let alone anyone who dressed this way. But what shocked her the most was his unruly pink hair. Virgo had pink hair of course, and it was natural so that wasn't the issue. But being as intimidating looking as he was, and being male, the pink hair was very, very unusual. "What are you staring at?"

"I apologize. Forgive my rudeness. I just have never encountered anyone that looks like you." She told him. She furrowed her brow and lifted a hand to touch a pink tuft. It felt soft in between her fingers despite its spiky appearance.

"Well I've never seen anyone that looks like you either." He replied offensively, thinking that she was making fun of him. He batted her hand away and watched the shock wash over her face from his actions. "Look at you. You're like a hoodlum Barbie in that getup." He huffed.

"I- "she started, before taking a moment to take in his words. "I am unsure of how to respond."

"Save it. I've done my part. I'm leaving." He said, reaching to the ground to pick up his leather jacket. He had thrown it down on the ground in the heat of the moment. Well there goes the idea of bringing her back to his apartment for some "comfort". This girl wasn't what he was expecting. She didn't throw herself into his arms. She didn't beg to have company because she didn't want to be along tonight. No. She just stared at him like he was some freak and touched his hair. Geez, there are weirdos out running around out there. "Have a nice night and try not to get yourself in trouble again." He spit onto the ground before turning around and walking off.

"Wait! Please don't leave!" she yelled, running after him.  
"Now what do you want?" he whined, continuing to walk briskly away.

"Please, sir. You don't understand." She told him, trying to keep up with his fast pace. "I am in dire need of some assistance!"

"And what's with the way you talk?" he asked her. "Trying to make me feel illiterate? That's right. I know what illiterate means."

"I think you have greatly misunderstood me. I don't wish to make fun of you in any way. And I don't doubt your intelligence either." She explained.

"Damn, right you shouldn't." he said, picking up his pace to lose her. She maybe beautiful but god was she getting annoying. "Now get lost."

"Why excuse me!" she huffed. "I just needed your assistance on finding the nearest hotel."

"3 blocks up, a left of Baker's street, and 7 blocks to the right. There." He said, quickly jogging across the street away from her. Lucy stood where he had ditched her. Her mouth open. Shocked that he had just abandoned her in the street and god knows what hour! In an instance, he was out of sight and Lucy was alone again.

"Some savior he is!" Lucy muttered in frustration. She was walking in the direction that Natsu had pointed her in, keeping an eye out for Baker's street. It was getting even colder out, but she willed her legs to go forward even if they were getting stiff. The sound of screeching in the close vicinity made her jump and she looked behind her and watched as a motorcycle hurdled toward her with frightening speed. She let out a scream and covered her eyes as it she waited for it to hit her. But it never did. She took her hands off her eyes and discovered that the motorcyclist had stopped directly in front of her. He took his helmet off and she was surprised to see that it was the pink haired man that just ditched her.

Natsu?

That's right.

His name was Natsu.

"I felt bad for leaving you there so hop on and I'll take you to the hotel, Looney." He said rolling his eyes.

"And what if I don't want your help." She said, folding her nose and turning her head to pout. "And my name is Lucy I'll have you know. Lucy Heart- um."

She paused after almost saying her full name. It probably wasn't safe for people to know her full name. Her father was an extremely wealthy man. What if this guy tried to hold her ransom or something?

"Do you want to freeze out here, 'Lucy Heart'?" he asked, using air quotations around her name. She frowned, knowing that he was trying to make fun of her.

"No, I do not." She muttered.

"Then hop on." He said, annoyed.

Lucy stood on the sidewalk's curb staring at the man with her eyes wide.

"I just told you. Hop. On." He said in a demanding tone. The harshness in his voice sent a shiver up her spine. This guy sure could be scary.

"Hop on? On that deadly contraption?" she shivered, both from the cold and from fear. "Is it even safe?"

"Yes, here. You can even take my helmet." He said, extending his helmet out to her. She looked at him wearily. She had never been on anything like this in her life. She had barely even been in a car! Natsu, seeing her look of worry decided to try and make her feel better. "If it makes you feel better, I will go slower and you can even hold onto me."

She had a pouty look on her face, but she finally took the helmet and put it over her head. Natsu quickly helped her fasten the chin strap.

"How do I get on?" she asked him.

"You put your foot here and swing your leg over. Kind of like getting on a horse." He explained.

"Oh, father never let me ride horses. This won't break my hymen will it?" she gasped, crossing her legs and inching away from the bike.

"Your what?" Natsu said confused. "Just get on. I don't have time for this. Do you want a ride or not?"

Lucy hesitantly mounted the bike.

"This isn't so-" she started, but her voice was drowned out by the loud revving of the engine.

"Better hold on." Natsu looked at her with a grin. He let go of the clutch fast and they took off. Lucy screamed and threw her arms around Natsu's torso and squeezed her eyes shut. Her eyes remained shut for the rest of the ride. She didn't need to see how fast the world was flying by or she might get sick and vomit. Which would have looked VERY unladylike.

"You can let go now." Natsu said. "We're here."

"We're here!" she squealed. She ungracefully dismounted the bike and shakily stood on the sidewalk while Natsu stayed on his motorcycle. "Thank you so much for bringing me here. And for saving me."

"Don't mention it." He shrugged, putting on his helmet. "You got everything handled then?"

"Yes, sir! I got my money right- "she froze as she felt the inside of empty pocket. The money that Virgo had given her was gone. "It's gone!"

"Gone? What's gone?" he asked.

"My money! All of it! It's gone!" she cried, frantically searching her pockets. "It must have fallen out when those men harassed me!"

"What?!" he exclaimed.

"No, no, no! This shouldn't be happening right now! What am I going to do? I can't go back! I just need a place to stay for the night." she started to cry.

"Sounds like a tough situation." Natsu said with a little sympathy. "Well I better get going."

He didn't need to be here, watching this crazy girl have a meltdown. There were people for that. And they were not him. He revved up his motorcycle and began to turn it so that he could leave but was stopped when Lucy jumped in front of him.

"Wait! You can't just leave a lady alone on the streets with no money!" she cried out. "Please, can't you help me? You were so kind earlier."  
"Well here's something about me that you don't know. Come here." Natsu said, wiggling a finger at her for her to come in close. Her eyes lit up and she leaned forward to listen closely. "I'm not a nice guy."

He revved his engine again and began to turn the handlebars in the direction of the street. Not thinking, Lucy closed her eyes and reached out to grip his handlebars, refraining him from going anywhere.

"Please, I don't have any other place to go!" she begged, tears freely falling from her eyes.

"Please don't cry. I hate crying." He said with slight disgust. "Listen, I don't have enough money on me right now to get you a hotel, but you can crash at my place. JUST for tonight. Okay?"

"Really?" Lucy said, wiping her tears away. "Thank you!"

"Now I'm not promising that anything won't happen tonight." He smirked. "Girls just find me hard to resist."  
"It must because of your kind heart." Lucy beamed. She put her hands over her heart and looked at him with this, as Natsu would describe, a crazy look. "Thank you. You've saved me!"

She threw her arms around him and he was startled by her sudden action. He hesitantly hugged her back and let her overwhelming floral scent enter his nostrils. Geez did she bathe in flowers or something. The scent slightly burned his nose and he scrunched it and turned his head away from her. She pulled away after a moment.

"I promise that it will just be for tonight. And that I will be no trouble at all!" she told him.

….

"What a wonderful- um- home you have here." Lucy managed to get out. They had safely made it back to Natsu's home and she was not only winded from all the stairs they had to get here but in utter shock as well from the mess in front of her. It was absolutely disgusting. There were tons of boxes and containers of half-eaten food everywhere, along with clothes strewn everywhere.

It was smaller than her house (But I mean she lived in a mansion on a giant estate), but it was about the size of her own quarters.

It was cute.

"Thanks. Sorry that it is a bit of a mess. I haven't gotten around to cleaning in a little while." He said, clearing a path to the couch. "Or ever."

"It's alright. I am just grateful for a place to lay my head for the night." Lucy said, watching where she put her feet. She didn't want to step on anything that could be valuable to him. Or step on anything hiding underneath all this stuff.

"You can sleep on my couch for tonight." He told her, pointing to the lumpy grey couch that was in front of them. There was another couch adjacent to it, but it was a weird brown color as far as she could see from underneath piles of clothes, empty food containers and junk. "Or if you like, you can share my bed with me."

He gave her a small wink which she shrugged at.

"The sofa is perfectly fine with me. Thank you for your offer. I'm supposed to wait until marriage before I share a bed with a man." She said with a matter of fact tone.

Um, what?

Did he just get flat out turned down?

He stared at her for a moment. Ouch.

"Okay but if you change your mind, I'm just down the hall." He waltzed over to his couch and began wiped off all the trash onto the floor in one foul swoop, leaving it on the floor. "I'll grab a pillow and blanket for you."

"Thank you very much for your hospitality." She said, slightly bowing in his direction. Once he left to retrieve some bed items she took a moment to further clean the couch. If she was going to sleep on it, it better not have any food hidden in its cushions. Lucky for her, there was no moldy food. Just the pair of the most scandalous, frilliest pink underwear she had ever seen. With a disgusted face, she quickly tossed it aside and wiped her hands on her pants. She didn't need to think about who or how those underwear ended up in the couch that she was about to sleep on.

"I hope you don't mind but the only extra blanket that I have is this one." He said, holding up a large fuzzy blanket that had a cartoon picture of a candle and the words "Blow me, it's my birthday" printed in large font across it. "It was a gift."

"Anything you give me, I will be very grateful for." She faked a smile. Damn, there goes rule number 9. But it was hard to be sincere about a blanket with a sexual joke on it. Lucy wasn't totally out of the loop with things like that. Sure, her body was still innocent, but she knew a few things about sex. Mostly because Taurus liked to tell dirty jokes which later Virgo had to explain to her, making her face burn red with embarrassment. He tossed her the blanket which she barely caught.

"Bathroom is down the hall." He pointed. "Goodnight. See you in the morning."

"Have a wonderful rest of your night. Rest well!" she smiled. He half smiled back at her before turning around and heading to his room. Lucy spent a few minutes to further wipe off the crumbs from the sofa before making her bed. She tried her best to make it like Virgo made her bed but trying to make a sofa look like a bed proved difficult. When she was semi satisfied with her project she cleared a small section of the food strewn floor and knelt in front of her bed.

Natsu couldn't believe that a girl had turned him down for sex. Usually they flaunted themselves at him after just seeing his muscular tattooed arms. And not to mention how many panties hit the floor as soon as they found out he drove a motorcycle. He grumbled to himself as he tried to figure out other ways to get this girl into bed. Bingo. He pulled off his tank top that he was wearing and threw on a pair of basketball shorts and let them lay extremely low on his hips. No girl would be able to resist him like this. He confidently made his way out of his room.

"-Everything seems calm right now, which I am thankful for but of course you know what all happened today…." Lucy spoke.

Natsu's ears perked up at the sound of her talking to herself and he peered around the corner and saw her on her knees with her hand delicately folded in front of her with closed eyes. She was praying? Did he bring home some crazy, escaped, hot nun girl? It felt weird watching her talk to herself. He had never really seen someone pray before and he felt intrusive.

"- Oh and Natsu…. he seems a little rough around the edges but I'm sure he is really nice. I'm sure you know all about him." She smiled to herself. "Please let him have restful sleep tonight. Amen."

"I didn't peg you as the religious type." Natsu said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his tanned chest.

"Not really." She shrugged. "Are you relig- "

Her eyes widened to the size of teacup saucers. She had never seen a half-naked man before but here he was.

"I don't believe in shit like that." He shrugged, heading into the kitchen. "It's all bullshit."

"And I fully respect your opinion." She said, avoiding eye contact as she stood up to get into bed. "Religion does have a lot of unknown questions. I barely believe it myself."

"Then why did you pray then?" he asked, filling up a glass with water. He was so focused on talking to her that he totally forgot the reason why he came out here. "Did you go to catholic school? Because I heard those girls are freaks in bed."

"I don't actually pray to God. I just talk out loud to my mom. It gives me a sense of comfort." She said, getting into bed. "And no, I did not attend a catholic school. I was homeschooled."

"Yikes. No wonder you don't have any social skills." He replied, downing his glass of water.

"Well I apologize for not knowing for to socialize properly." She sniped. "Now if I may be excused from this conversation, I would like to go to bed."

"Alright, alright. Don't get your granny panties in a twist." He said, holding his hands up in defense. "Night."

"I bid you goodnight." She said, grumpily. "And don't talk about my undergarments!" She tried her best to get comfy once Natsu had left but this couch was extremely uncomfortable. She angrily puffed her cheeks before sitting up and busing herself with a task that would hopefully make her sleepy.

….

"Natsu! You need to wake up!" Lucy said, shaking him.

"Nooo. Don't make me leave. Let him find us." He mumbled in his sleep.

"Pardon me?" Lucy responded. She didn't have time to figure out how what he was mumbling about. She just needed to wake him up.

"Natsu! Wake up!" she said louder, using all her might to shake him.

"Whattt?" he said, sleepily opening his eyes.

"Good! You're awake!" Lucy exclaimed with happiness. "You need to help me. There is a terrible beeping sound coming from the kitchen and I don't know how to stop it! And I'm too short to reach it."

Natsu tilted his head and tried to listen for the beeping noise for himself.

"It's the fire alarm." He said, as he lazily turned over. It took a moment for it to sink in that it only went off when something was burning. His eyes shot open as he shot out of bed and ran into the kitchen. There was a stream of black smoke, steadily leaving the toaster.

"All I did was put bread into it!" Lucy told him as he quickly unplugged the toaster and took it out onto his balcony to let it finish smoking. "And then the horrible beeping started!"

"Open the windows to let it air out in here." He ordered her. She quickly scampered off into the living room and began to open the windows. After she had finished, she came back into the kitchen where he was standing on a chair resetting the fire alarm.

"There. No more noise." He said, getting off the chair. "Now what the hell where you doing? Trying to set my apartment on fire? And what's with the mess in here?"  
"I was just trying to make you breakfast to show you my appreciation for letting me stay here." She said in a small voice. "I just didn't know how."

"What kind of girl doesn't know how to cook?" he questioned.

"I was never taught." She told him. "Anyways, I just put the bread in and then it started smoking. I'm not sure what happened."

"Well that toaster is pretty ancient." He said. He rubbed his eyes before looking at the food scattered over the counter. "How about I make breakfast and you can watch? And not touch anything."

"That would be wonderful!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands with excitement.

"Okay, okay. Don't act so cheery." He grumbled. "It's like 5- WHAT. Why are you up at 5 in the morning on a Saturday?"

"I usually am awake around this time every morning." She said, tilting her head with confusion.

"You- you, ugh." He groaned in defeat. "Okay, well I'm up let's do this."

"Hurray!" she said. "I'll set the table."

"Table?" he asked. "What table?"

"You're dining table?" she asked back, confused. "Here, I'll show you."

She led him to the small table that was in the living room.

Wait, the living room?

Natsu looked at the rest of his apartment and could hardly recognize the organized room in front of him. Everything had a place and was clean and tidy.

This was like some weird dream.

"I hope you don't mind that I tidied up a few things." The blonde said, rubbing her arm nervously. "I couldn't sleep last night so I thought cleaning would help wear me out, so I could rest."

He gaped at her with a raised brow.

"Your table is actually quite nice and perfect for having breakfast on." She smiled, patting the small oak table in front of them.

"Well look at that." He said, putting his hand on his jaw. "I have a table. Is that really what my carpet is supposed to look like." Touching the blue, fluffy carpet with his toes.

"I assume so?" she responded. "Now show me how to make breakfast, please!"

Lucy watched carefully, making mental notes, on how Natsu measured out various ingredients and blended them together to make a pale batter. Or how he carefully cracked eggs into a sizzling hot pan that held crisping bacon. She thoroughly enjoyed watching him make breakfast. It was very relaxing. Once he was all finished and the dirty dishes placed in the sink, she set the table and laid out their plates of food. Natsu sighed as he finished drying his hands before he went to sit down at his 'new' table with Lucy.

"Okay, I'm here. Dig in." he said, pouring syrup over his buttered pancakes.

"Um, Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"Hmm?" he responded, his mouth full of a pancake.

"What exactly are these?" she asked, pointing her butter knife at the pancake on her plate.

"They're pancakes." He shrugged. "What have you never had pancakes before?"

She shook her head in response.

"I could have certain pastries during breakfast but nothing I have had that has even remotely resembled this." She said, poking her pancake.

"So, what you do is, take this syrup and pour it all over it." He explained, handing her the bottle of syrup. She picked it up in her hand and opened the container and dribbled a thin stream over her pancake.

"Like that?" she asked.

"Nope, more." He said, taking another bite. "Like this."

He put his hand on top of hers and helped her pour over a heavy amount of syrup.

"There. Perfect. Now you can eat." He said, picking up a slice of bacon from a plate and dipping it into the leftover syrup on his plate.

She picked up her knife and began to precisely cute bite size pieces. She jabbed her fork into one of the pieces and pressed it securely onto her fork with the back of her knife. Natsu watched her as she took her fist bite and saw her eyes light up as she began to chew.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed, stabbing another piece and putting it into her mouth. "You are a marvelous chef!"

"I'm glad you enjoy it." Natsu chuckled.

The rest of breakfast continued in a happy silence for the two.


End file.
